Big Cave Camp
Chalets on a granite ridge · Private wilderness bordering the park, 46 to 49 km from Bulawayo; 4x4 access · Big Cave (family-owned)
Mid-range
Outside the gate
Owner/family-run
Land bought by the Waddy family in 1947 and held by four generations since. The camp sits on a granite ridge bordering the park, reached by 4x4, with a natural rock pool, bar, library and boma. Concession drives and walks are priced separately by the camp, and park and monument fees come on top of the rate.
Pros and cons
Pros
- The same family has owned the land since 1947
- A natural rock pool and a bar built into the rocks
- A family room for two adults and two children aged 0 to 11
- Honeymoon suites open onto a private deck with views
- Village and school visits arranged nearby
Cons
- 4x4 access only, on a ridge bordering the park
- A $35 conservancy levy a night is on top of the rate
- Park entry and the NMMZ monument fee also cost extra
- Concession drives and walks are priced separately from the rate
What's here
- Swimming pool
- Bar
- Family rooms
- Campsite
- En-suite bathrooms
Arranged from the lodge:
- Game drives
- Guided walks
- Birding
- Community visits
Read from Big Cave Camp's own website in July 2026. Anything not listed we could not confirm, which is not the same as it being absent.
What the park charges on top
The rate above buys you a bed. Matobo National Park charges its own entry fee for every day you are inside. Here is what that adds up to.
- Park entryThe ZimParks rate if you drive in from outside.
- $18per person, per day
- VehicleForeign-registered car, $10 a day visiting and $3 staying inside; a Zimbabwe-registered hire car pays $5 and $2.
- $10per vehicle, per day
Three nights means three days inside, so two adults sharing one vehicle pay $138 in park fees before anyone pays for a bed.
World's View and the painted caves need a separate NMMZ ticket, $10 per non-resident adult, which is not included in these sums.
The full fee schedule for Matobo National ParkRates at Big Cave Camp
From $295 pp, fully inclusive. Green-season rate (October to March) of $295 per person per night on Hideaways Africa's 2026/27 card, covering meals, local drinks and camp activities. The lodge's own site sells rooms only through its booking engine. Extra on top: a conservancy levy of $35 per adult per night ($15 for ages 6 to 17), the park entry fee and the NMMZ monument fee.
All inclusive. The rate covers meals, drinks, activities and the transfers named below. Park fees are charged separately.
Every figure on this page is in US dollars.
Rates checked in September 2026. Where a lodge publishes its own rate we use it, with its date; for Amalinda, Big Cave and Shashani, which do not print rates on their own sites, the figure comes from a named reseller or agent and says so. The price filter and sort use per-person rates only; lodges that price per room or per unit show their rate in the text but carry no sortable figure. ZimParks entry is extra almost everywhere: $18 per international adult per day driving in, $10 sleeping inside, and the NMMZ ticket for World's View and the caves is $10 on top.
Questions about Big Cave Camp
Is Big Cave Camp good for families?
Yes. The Ingwe family room sleeps two adults and two children aged 0 to 11 on a king bed and bunks, and the honeymoon suites can be converted into a family suite for two adults and three children. We found no published minimum age beyond this, so ask about drives and walks for young children.
Is Big Cave Camp good for a honeymoon?
The Kozi and Ntwane suites are built for it, each with a lounge, en-suite bathroom and doors onto a private deck with views over the ridge. The camp's own page does not mention a plunge pool. There is also a shared natural rock pool and a bar built into the rocks for the wider camp.
What does the rate at Big Cave Camp include?
The green-season rate of $295 a person, quoted by Hideaways Africa for October to March, covers meals, local drinks and camp activities. On top of that comes a conservancy levy of $35 a night for adults and $15 for ages 6 to 17, plus the park entry fee and the NMMZ monument fee. Concession drives and walks cost extra again.
Can you self-drive to Big Cave Camp?
Yes, but you need a 4x4. The camp sits on a private ridge bordering the park, 46 to 49 km from Bulawayo depending on the source, and is reached by four-wheel-drive track rather than a tarred road.
How many rooms does Big Cave Camp have?
Eleven chalets sleeping up to 24 guests, built A-frame style in granite under thatch: two honeymoon suites, one family room and eight twin or double rooms. An earlier figure on the lodge's own site put this lower, so treat 11 chalets and 24 guests as the current count.